SEC Basketball Schedule: MSU Opens Jan. 9; Hosts A&M, Mizzou

The SEC finally released its 2012-13 men’s basketball schedule this morning, and so we now have MSU’s full 30-game slate in hand. It’s listed below in its entirety.

But first, some schedule highlights. First off, remember that it’s an 18-game SEC schedule with the two new teams added. MSU opens play Jan. 9 at home against South Carolina (7 p.m., ESPN3.com). New coach Rick Ray‘s first meeting with rival Ole Miss comes Feb. 6 in Oxford (8 p.m., CSS & ESPN3.com), and then the Rebels visit Starkville on March 2 (4 p.m., FSN & ESPN3.com). Ole Miss is one of five teams the Bulldogs will play twice this season, the other four being Alabama, Florida, LSU and South Carolina.

All of State’s games will be played on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The final day of the regular season is March 9, a Saturday, and MSU will host Auburn (4:30 p.m., FSN & ESPN3.com).

“I am excited that the SEC chose to preserve our natural rivalry with Ole Miss when putting together this schedule,” Ray said in a release. “Our schedule seems balanced and challenging, but if you are in a BCS conference there is no such thing as a favorable schedule. The big positive is that we play all of our SEC games on Wednesday and Saturday, so it sets our players up for a great routine during the season, very similar to a football schedule.”